Taking Flight
by MauMoon
Summary: Ace is a happy go lucky kittypet that dreams of an exciting life of adventure, but her overprotective guardians are always watching. Aysel is a quiet rogue cat trained to kill and conquer for her leader, Loki. The two she-cats couldn't be more different. But when they both meet each other after a terrible accident, they spark a friendship together to last more than nine lifetimes.
1. Allegiances

Allegiances (Cats outside of the Clans)

 **Kittypets** (Cats living with Twolegs):

Tony- Sleek dark brown tom with amber eyes and dark front paws

Pepper- Golden furred she-cat with amber eyes and a speckled backside

Steve- Yellow tom with pale blue eyes, white paws, a white belly, and shiny fur

Natasha- Small russet she-cat with dark green eyes and freckles on her pale pink nose

Clint- Dusty brown tabby tom with blue eyes and a pale underbelly

Phil- Dark grey furred tom with large green eyes and round folded ears

Bruce- Big dark brown tabby tom with blotchy stripes, green eyes, a light tan muzzle and underbelly, and big paws

Ace- Fluffy calico she-cat with leaf green eyes and scars on her shoulders and flank

Jane- Small light brown pretty she-cat with soft fur and light amber eyes

Darcy- Small plump short dark brown she-cat with green eyes

 **Loners** (Cats who don't live with Twolegs and keep to themselves):

Nick- Short furred muscular brown tom with a stump tail, black undertones, and one eye

Thor- Huge, muscular long haired ginger tom with large, wide white paws, a long fluffy tail, striking blue eyes, subtle stripes, and thick fur

Wade- Tall light golden furred tom with blue eyes, shredded ears, and many scars on his face and body

Peter- Small brown tom with blue eyes (formerly a kittypet)

Bucky- Big dark brown tom with deep blue eyes, black fur around his eyes, and missing a front leg

 **Rogues** (Cats who don't live with Twolegs but regularly cause trouble):

Loki- Sleek short furred handsome black tom with rich green eyes and distinguished white whiskers

Aysel- Very tiny white she-cat with black ears, a black tail, a patch of black fur on her back, blue eyes and soft fur

Ragnarok- Battle scarred black tom with deep amber eyes and long legs

Skull- Large bulky hairless tom with blue eyes

Shabazz- Small black tom with amber eyes and a torn ear

Minx- Grey furred she-cat with blue eyes and no tail

Cricket- White tom with silver tabby stripes and blue eyes

Moth- Large blueish gray she-cat with blue eyes and torn ears

Pitch- Dark black cat with unusual grey eyes


	2. Prologue

Prologue

 _Cold rain plastered Loki's pelt to_ his body, but the black tom refused to shiver. Rain was no stranger to him, as being on his own for moons had him plenty acquainted with the changing weather. Cold almost never bothered him anymore. It was nothing compared to the ice growing in his veins that had cruel claws gripping and squeezing his heart and making him thirst for vengeance and bloodshed.

The night's rain was carried by equally cold winds that rolled small waves across puddles forming around his paws and on the Thunderpath. The acid stench of monster breath began to be washed away by the natural smell of rain water. The Twoleg place noise had begun to die down as night fell upon the world, the skies darkening and fat angry clouds rolling in to cover the half moon rising into the sky.

He had moved from the box he'd sheltered in, the rains from previous days before soaking into and rotting his temporary home. He didn't care too much for the location anyway. Dogs roamed about, and he'd been quite sick of having to fight the mangy mongrels off of his land. Rats were also common there, the Twoleg rubbish attracting the rodents. Sometimes they made good meals, other times the creatures weren't worth the potentially deadly infection from a wound dealt by dirty teeth or claws.

It was bad enough that his wounds from them hadn't healed properly. Loki sometimes walked with a limp, and couldn't sit right due to his back leg still throbbing in pain. His brother, Thor, had teamed up with housecats and driven him out of his previous territory, leaving him with terrible wounds to lick.

He'd sworn vengeance if it was the last thing he'd do. Broken out of his thoughts, Loki scrambled away from the Thunderpath as a wave a dirty brown water splashed over him. A monster zoomed by, its huge black paws churning up more filthy liquid as it ran away.

Disgusted, Loki couldn't even begin to think of how much disgusting sludge he'd have to clean out of his fur. His belly growled, and Loki felt pain bite in his middle. He could afford to hunt soon so hunger wouldn't disturb his slumber. It would be hard to find food however. Rats weren't an appetizing thought at the moment. Mice were scarce, and birds had no doubt flown into their nests for shelter. Loki didn't even entertain the idea of rummaging for any edible Twoleg rubbish. He wasn't that hungry.

The thought of eating anyway with a mud soaked pelt and the probability of any food he found being too soggy to enjoy made Loki's hunger vanish. He'd wait until the next day then. The rain had begun to lessen a bit later on, and scents were returning back to the tom's nose. Stale cat scent was more prominent, then there was Twoleg rubbish. Rat was next, and then faint traces of blood. That one seemed fresh.

Curious, Loki padded down an alleyway, tail held high. Rats scurried about, making noise from within the shiny silver containers reeking of sour wet trash. Loki eyed the form of a box slumped over, being weighed down by puddles of water collecting in the dipping ceiling. A large rat was hunched over something, its hairless pink paws covered in a wet red substance. That could be the blood that he smelled. But what was bleeding?

The rat seemed to be eating something, its bloodstained paws showing whatever food it had acquired into its hungry mouth. Long orange teeth chewed greedily, whiskers twitching and ears flicking around. Loki saw the rat stop, look up and make direct contact with him. Hatred glinted in the creature's beady black eyes, and for a moment Loki was filled with such rage at the audacity of the rat to hold his gaze with such a look so long. Then, the rat scurried away just as Loki had the urge to snap its neck with his paw. Good. He thought. Disgusting creature had better know its place.

Just as he turned to leave, Loki's ears pricked at the thin wail of a tiny creature- a young cat, he'd reasoned over the sound of rats bustling about in the trash. The noise was followed by a fit of weak coughs, then the wailing started up again. Loki knew the sound of a kit when he heard one, and thought to leave it alone. Why should he care about a worthless life like that? It was going to die anyway, no doubt the rats had feasted upon the tender kitten's flesh by now.

But, if they had, why did it still make noise? More curiosity overwhelmed him, swallowing his whole being. His legs moved on their own, and Loki found himself nosing into the rotting box. The stench of blood hit him in the throat, but he didn't flinch at the metallic tang. He already knew that dead things resided in this zone. Four kits sat on the ground, three of them ripped and bloodied, long dead. The smallest one was scratched but otherwise alive. The noise must have come from that one.

Blood stuck to his paw pads and squished between his toes. The mewling started again, the tiny kit's head lifting and short legs reaching around pitifully for the absent milk warm belly. Loki bent his head to sniff at the ball of fuzz, wrinkling his nose at the soiled smell clinging to the she-cat's fur. A good grooming could fix that, as for the blood clinging to her….

He didn't know what caused him to suddenly pluck the wailing bundle of fur up from the death around her, but Loki found himself bringing a newborn kit no bigger than his paw with him in search of a new shelter. Much to his annoyance, he'd even found himself ducking his head in an unconscious attempt at shielding the thing from the rain that bad begun to start up again.


	3. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 _Warm golden sunlight bathed Ace's spotted_ fur as she sat atop her wooden fence. A light breeze blew her whiskers back, carrying with it the sweet scent of flowers from the yard next to her. The young she-cat stretched, yawning lazily and blinking sleep from her eyes. It was a little after dawn, the sun climbing higher into the sky as time passed.

Ace wasn't usually up so early, much less outside at this time, but today her housefolk had opened a window and stepped outside for a walk. She wasted no time in squeezing underneath the small opening and jumping outside.

She didn't get a lot of time to herself, between the housefolk kits picking her up and playing with her to the older cats she lived with training her and teaching her about life, she got a little worn out. She wasn't even allowed to be outside by herself. When she was a little kit, Ace ventured into her backyard to play around. She didn't pay attention to her surroundings or hear the heavy beating of wings. A hawk swooped down from the sky, snatching her up in its sharp talons. Her screeches of pain and fear alerted Steve, the yellow tom she lived with.

The tom raced out of the housefolk nest and leapt into the air to tackle down the hawk as it attempted to carry Ace away. Steve had rescued the kit, but Ace was left with deep scars on her shoulders and flank. She almost hadn't lived through the ordeal.

Shaking the memories from her mind, Ace turned her attention up to the sky. The last few stars were winking out of sight, the pinkish orange glow fading into a nice blue as the sun took its place in the center of the sky. Ace's ears pricked at the sound of a laid back meow from behind her. "Hey there, kit." Clint, a friendly cat that lived close to her den hauled himself up onto the fence next to her. His silver bell tinkled loudly as he moved, a noise Ace didn't particularly care for. She'd never keep her own collar on, even after her housefolk removed the bell. It just wasn't comfortable.

"Hi Clint." Ace mewed back, waving her tail in greeting. "Nice day today?" She said shuffling her paws. Ace caught the knowing glance in the tabby tom's eyes. He knew good and well that she wasn't allowed to be outside alone, but he wasn't too strict about it. He believed, just as she did, that she was big enough, and capable enough to protect herself. "Fine. What are you doing out so early?" It was a two sided question.

"The housefolk left the window open, so I decided I'd get some fresh air before the others woke up and began training with me." A purr rumbled in Clint's throat. "Oh, you silly kit." He teased. "When will you learn that you're never up before Steve?" _It's true_. Ace thought. _It's almost as though_ _he can't even sleep!_ "He probably knows I'm out, just keeping a watch somewhere." Ace mumbled, a little disappointed that she wasn't entirely alone before Clint showed up.

"Oh I'm sure he is." Clint meowed. "But if he's letting you stay out, he must trust that you're fine on your own." Ace brightened at this, her chest swelling with pride. "Or he's confident he'll be able to pull your disobedient rear out of danger if he needs to." Bit a tight voice. Natasha, a small russet she-cat who lived with Clint jumped onto the fence next to her tabby friend. "Clint. Teaching kits bad habits again?" Natasha said, her voice unamused.

Natasha's hot gaze rolled off of her friend's shoulders as he shrugged. "I didn't tell her to come outside." He half defended himself. "But you didn't tell her to go back _in_." Natasha hissed. Ace gripped the wood of the fence in her claws. "But Nat! It's so boring in there roaming around!" The small she-cat's gaze slid over Ace, and she instinctively flinched back. "You know the rules, Ace. I don't think we should have to keep reminding you _why_ we tell you to stay inside."

Ace instinctively curled her tail around as much of her scars as possible, looking down in hurt. Natasha seemed to notice this, and softened her eyes. "Look. We tell you this because we care about you. Later on you'll thank us, but for now you _have_ to wait for one of us to come out with you if you feel like exploring." Ace looked back up

"But it's not fair! I'm not a little kit anymore! I'm almost bigger than you, Nat, and _you_ taught me how to fight! Aren't you confident in me?" Ace felt her ears burn. Maybe if she proved she could hold her own, they'd leave her alone!

"No means no." Natasha said flatly. "That's the end of it." Ace flattened her ears and slumped her shoulders. Disappointment flooded her senses, and her eyes began to sting.

Ace faintly registered Clint's tail being laid on her shoulder in a comforting manner. "Cheer up, kit. I'm sure you'll be ready to come out on your own one day." _I_ _should be ready_ now. Ace thought bitterly. She nodded, sitting up straight. _I'm seven moons old. When will they trust me?_

Changing the subject, Natasha cleared her throat. "Today we'll teach you how to fight against a cat bigger than you. If you fare well enough, we can talk about a walk around the territory." Ace's fur pricked in surprise and excitement. "Really? Yes!" She cheered, her tail curling in delight.

Ace ducked a blow from Steve's outstretched paw, it barely missing her ear. She quickly pounced forward, not giving the tom another chance to attack once more. Steve stepped to the side, letting Ace fly by harmlessly.

After returning from the backyard, Ace ate a little of her kibble, brown pellets her housefolk fed her daily. The pellets smelled like they were supposed to taste good, the scent of meat clinging to each round ball, but there was no taste.

Ace picked around her food a little bit more before meeting up with Tony, a sleek brown tom who hung around the neighborhood, and Steve. Tony agreed to watch and asses Ace's training while Steve wrestled with her.

"Try again." Steve meowed calmly. "A little faster. I could see that pounce coming before you even crouched to do it." Frustration heated up Ace's ears, but she nodded graciously, taking in the constructive criticism. "Okay. I think I'm ready now. Try me." Ace hadn't quite caught the mischievous gleam in the yellow tom's blue eyes.

Readying herself to attack again, Ace was caught off guard as Steve pounced first, but she was able to roll out of the way in enough time. Steve lost his footing on the smooth Twoleg den floor, and fell upon his side with an, "oof," legs sprawling out.

Without wasting a single heartbeat, Ace flung herself upon Steve's back, wrestling around with the larger cat and pummeling his white belly with her back legs. Steve let out a startled yowl, fuelling Ace's attack. It didn't hurt the tom, her claws were sheathed.

Suddenly Ace was kicked off, Steve's powerful back legs launching her across the floor. Ace recovered quickly, scrambling to her paws and crouching down for another attack. Tony raised his tail and stalked over to the two cats, signaling the end of the mock battle.

"Nice job Ace! You showed Spangles a thing or two." The brown tom purred addressing Steve with his kittypet name. Steve's mother had called him Steven at birth, but when adopted by his new housefolk, Steve's new given name was Spangles. He'd never forgotten his name, even moons after his mother became sick and died. In an attempt to honor her memory, Steve no longer answered to Spangles, but called himself Steve instinstead.

Padding over to her with a satisfied light in his eyes, Steve playfully cuffed Ace's ear with a paw. "Good job. You got lucky though, try not to depend on your opponent slipping on the ground. I sure won't next time!" Ace purred and lifted her tail in pride. "I won't need to. I'll beat you again, without help!" She meowed confidently.

"Confidence, I like it!" Tony mewed curling his tail around his paws. "Think you can take on the world now?" For a moment, she really did. Ace's legs shook with excitement, and her tail-tip twitched uncontrollably. She _beat_ Steve! Sure, it was because she'd pounced on him when he slipped, but it didn't change the fact that she was able to hold her own.

A purr rising in her throat, Ace turned to see the russet furred silhouette of Natasha watching her from the window as she sqeezed inside. In the she-cat's pretty green eyes, Ace saw the same pride and thoughts reflected in the deep leafy pools. _How's that for a tame kitty? Watch out! I'm getting stronger everyday!_


End file.
